Indelible Ink: 6 Popular Fountain Pens Tested and Rated

Sub Title: Indelible Ink: 6 Popular Fountain Pens Tested and Rated

Fountain pens seem hopelessly geeky to the uninitiated. Why bother with an expensive, finicky pen when most of us do all of our writing on keyboards and touchscreens anyway? And what's wrong with a ballpoint?

But there are significant advantages to using one, other than it looking beautiful on your desk. Writing longhand is not only more pleasant, since you don't have to exert as much pressure on the page, but also more thoughtful. Because you're using a lighter grip, it's easier to add your own unique touch to your script. Fountain pens are also more environmentally friendly -- the same pen can be used for a lifetime instead of joining the other cheap ballpoints in the trash year after year.

How We Tested

We chose six popular pens from some of the top manufacturers, ranging in price from $3 to $175. All of the tested pens have medium nibs, unless otherwise noted. We chose mostly medium nibs for a couple reasons. First, it's the most common option, and it's available on nearly all fountain pens. Second, script written with a medium nib is more consistent across different pens. It closely resembles the type of line you would get from a rollerball or gel pen, which most people are familiar with even if they've never used a fountain pen before. Each pen was tested with the manufacturer's ink cartridges on different papers of varying thickness.

Aurora Style Classic

Some might consider this pen Aurora's "cheap" fountain pen, as you won't find many Aurora pens for less than $100 outside of the Style collection. But the Classic ($95) was by far my favorite of all the pens I looked at -- both in design and functionality.

The design is simple and elegant. While other pens in this price range tend to be heavy, the Classic is light without feeling cheap. And, unlike other pens from Aurora, which can be downright garish, the finish is clean and not overly stylized. It consists of a brushed chrome cap over a black lacquer barrel with chrome accents (chrome and gunmetal-barreled varieties are also available). It has a slightly tapered barrel for an easy grip, and an oblique cap.

And it writes even better than it looks. Writing is smooth and fluid, and though the pen writes "wet," it doesn't feather or bleed, even on cheap thin paper. The medium nib was always consistent and, unlike other pens I tried, skipping and leaking were never an issue.

This pen is nearly flawless. My only nitpick is that the highly polished finish seems like it would scratch easily if stored outside of its leather case.

WIRED Writes like butter. Elegant minimalist styling. Nice grip.

TIRED Easily scratched finish may deter some from everyday use.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Parker Urban Metallic Chiseled

Priced at $75, the Parker Urban is an excellent mid-range fountain pen. It's so good, in fact, you might think it's more expensive than it is.

The first thing you notice is how heavy it is. This is due to the lacquer-over-brass cap, which contributes to most of the pen's substantial weight. But the weight is balanced well enough that it didn't fatigue my hand or get in the way of my writing.

The barrel tapers in the center for a more ergonomic grip and has a chiseled pattern on its lower section. But despite the chrome finish and etched pattern, the pen feels durable enough to withstand minor bumps and drops without damage.

Writing is clean and smooth. The medium nib, which is unfortunately the only size nib available for this pen, is stainless steel and never leaked or bled through the page. The nib is on the stiff side, but I found that made it more precise and consistent overall.

WIRED Premium looks with rugged construction. So smooth, you may forget you're using a fountain pen.

TIRED Heavy for some hands. Only available in medium nib.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Pilot Vanishing Point (Black Matte)

Something different here -- this $175 pen has a retractable nib. It's a design you don't often see in fountain pens, and one Pilot pioneered with its Vanishing Point series.

The nib extends and retracts when you click a button with your thumb, just like a retractable ballpoint pen. Once retracted, a small door closes over the nib to keep it from drying out. The black matte finish is extremely durable and won't scratch easily, if at all. The barrel is also unusual in that the pen clip sits on the same end as the nib. While this placement works for many people, I found it a bit awkward as it interfered with my grip and caused the pen to rotate in my hand too much while I wrote.

As with many Japanese pens, the medium nib was closer to a fine nib on American and European pens. (Though branded as a Pilot, the pen is actually manufactured by Pilot's parent company, Tokyo-based Namiki.) The 14-karat gold nib has a surprising amount of spring in it, which should make it very responsive when writing.

Unfortunately, the pen was far from responsive. The nib was inconsistent at best -- it skipped so much, I found it nearly impossible to get through a word. It was also very squeaky, leaky, and bled through the page more than any other pen I tried. The skipping did seem to abate after a couple hours of use, but it never completely went away. Also, the ink flow was erratic, varying from very wet to very dry every few lines.

I know this pen has a lot of fans, and on the few short occasions when the ink was consistently flowing, I could see why. But I simply couldn't overlook the poor ergonomics and inconsistent performance, particularly at the $175 price.

TIRED Nib leaks, squeaks, and skips. Couldn't get a consistent line to save my life.

Rating: 4 out of 10

Lamy Safari (Fine Nib)

When it comes to lower-end fountain pens, it seems you have to choose between good ergonomic design and nib quality. You rarely get both. But with the $37 Safari, Lamy has struck a balance.

While the plastic barrel and utilitarian clip will leave a lot to be desired for those used to more premium finishes, the pen doesn't feel cheap. The Safari is designed to be a workhorse. The faceted barrel has a small window cut into the side so you can easily see the pen's ink level. The wide pen clip, though ugly, is secure.

The fine nib wrote with minimal feathering and no bleeding, though I found the nib a tad scratchy overall. But this could be because it writes more dryly, which I actually liked -- if you're going to be using a pen every day, you want one that dries quickly and doesn't bleed. And the nib was responsive overall, with just enough flex to make writing quickly smooth and clean.

If you're looking for a simple pen you can use every day without breaking the bank, the Safari is an excellent option. It's consistent, smooth, and portable. It's just not the prettiest pen out there.

WIRED Super portable. Comes in a variety of colors. Writes smoothly and consistently.

TIRED Too utilitarian for some. You can only use Lamy's proprietary ink cartridges, which cost $5 or $6 each, unless you buy a $5 cartridge converter that lets you use bottle ink.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Pilot Varsity

The idea of a disposable fountain pen may be abhorrent to purists, but there are definite advantages to having a cheap throwaway version(s) of the normally pricey pens. The cheap plastic bodies can not only take more abuse than the typical pen, but they require no special maintenance or fussing with refills or converters.

And, for a cheap disposable, Pilot's Varsity line is pretty good. They cost $3.45 each, and you can get a pack of seven in different colors for $23.45. The body may be chintzy plastic, but that's because Pilot has wisely focused all of its efforts on the nib, which is excellent for a disposable. It writes smoothly, though the line is a little thick compared to other medium nibs (unfortunately, the Varsity is only available in a medium nib). It does write a little on the wet side though, and it will bleed through if you write with a heavy hand.

The Varsity is undoubtedly an "entry level" fountain pen, and is priced like one. It's not the best pen by any means, but it's a decent compromise if you want the fountain pen experience without shelling out the cash usually required.

WIRED Excellent nib for the price. Fun color choices. Most low-maintenance fountain pen you can buy. A great starter pen.

Waterman Expert Deluxe

Let's face it, if you're going to be spending almost $200 on a pen, it's probably not because you want to write with it every day. Most Waterman pens aren't "everyday" pens, and the $175 Expert Deluxe is no exception.

Everything about this pen is dramatic and eye-catching, from the highly polished and chiseled metal cap to the extra large nib. It's heavy in the way you want an expensive pen to be. It just looks like the kind of pen you would keep on your desk for display, only to be brought out and actually used for special occasions.

Not that you couldn't write with it every day, though. The nib itself is wide with almost no flex, but lays down a clean line nonetheless. The ink flowed consistently with not much feathering, though it did bleed a little. My only major complaint with the nib is that it leaked considerably, which shouldn't happen with a pen as costly as this one.

WIRED Striking; you will want to show it off. Velvety smooth writing.

TIRED Nib leaked straight out of the box. Expensive for a stainless steel nib.